


Sheathing Blades

by commandersmartass



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Clexa Endgame, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Forgiveness, Hurt/Comfort, I will put warnings if anything gets too intense, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Romance, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, They'll slowly get gayer and gayer as the story goes on dont worry guys, this will have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-08-28 12:53:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8446546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commandersmartass/pseuds/commandersmartass
Summary: Set after the events of Mount Weather, Clarke, after getting her shit together in a forest all alone, is suddenly found by none other than Lexa herself, and is promptly dragged off to Polis against her will, as if she were a toddler that had disobeyed her mother.Unfortunately, Clarke must realize that sometimes people need second chances, and that maybe actually listening to reason might make everything better.Or she could just choose to ignore the extremely vivacious brunette like the stubborn blonde she is, leading down an awkward spiral full of sexual tension, plenty of angst, and plenty of death, which, to be honest, sums up Clarke's entire life pretty damn well.Figures.





	1. 1. Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm Lynx, aka thehomocidaltrashcan! This is not one of my first fanfics, but it is my first Clexa fanfic, and my first multi-chapter one, so please bear with me if I take a little long to update, or if the chapters fluctuate in length. This story, if you haven't been able to tell, is set right after season 2's end, and will basically be a rewrite of season 3, without Lexa dying. As for now, this story will be mainly settling with Pike and Jaha, but for those who loathe it, don't worry, the City of Light is not in this story, only mentioned a few times. Azgeda will come in later, hopefully in a way that hasn't been used before.  
> I plan to update AT LEAST once a week, depending on how busy I am, as I do have school, so hopefully you're all patient and excited for the next chapter!  
> Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a good day!
> 
> Also, this chapter is mainly going to be about Clarke and Lexa's thoughts about what happened. There will be more action soon, but with Clarke being alone right now, her thoughts are really the only other way to express her feelings. Lexa is more of a recap of what's happened in Clarke's absense in the Ark.

Clarke felt like she was dying.

Not literally, per se, but internally. Although, to be completely honest, she’d totally accept death above everything else right now.

She was currently curled up inside a hollow tree, breathing heavily, her mind swimming with thoughts after a reoccurring nightmare that always seemed to happen anytime she tried to get any ounce of sleep. No matter how many times she happened to have the damn dream, it never stopped causing her to have a near panic attack as soon as she woke up. And, unfortunately, it seemed to be the only thing her mind wanted her to dream about, as that’s all she’d see once her eyes shut, whether she be awake or not.

_It was dark. Blood soaked seemingly every patch of once soft, green grass. Bodies lay atop countless other bodies, some unrecognizable, some eerily familiar, and some people Clarke knew and loved dearly. And after walking what seemed to be miles, She appeared. Standing over Clarke on top of a mountain of burnt bodies as Clarke looked up at her with pleading eyes, an expressionless look on her face as she turned around and walked away from Clarke, until she disappeared over the mountain of radiated corpses, turning into shadows._

Clarke didn’t even want to try to think about _her_ right now. Not after what _she_ did. Not after what _she_ caused. It sent a sickening wave down Clarke’s throat, resting in her stomach, making her want to throw up all the contents.

If she even had anything in her stomach, that is. Clarke hadn’t eaten properly in weeks now, since she left Camp Jaha. She didn’t stop to take anything before she left, after all. All she did was tell Bellamy goodbye and then she was gone, thinking that it would be smart to fend for herself in a forest she hardly knew how to get around. The only thing she had was a small pistol that was already missing 3 bullets out of six because she had fired it off a few days ago in a frenzied panic, thinking that someone was creeping up behind her, when it had actually been a branch she herself had stepped on. Nevertheless, Clarke felt utterly screwed, and really stupid.

What was she thinking when she had just left everyone like that? That she’d somehow survive? That she’d miraculously learn how to fend for herself in the wild? That _she_ would come out of nowhere and sweep her off her feet as if she were some damsel in distress that needed saving?

The last thought made bile run up Clarke’s throat and into her mouth, and she gagged. She didn’t know how to feel about _her_ , especially after what _she_ did at Mount Weather. Clarke knew she hated _her_ for leaving her and everyone else who needed help at the Mountain just because of a stupid deal to release the captured Grounders, something _she_ and Clarke could have both done together, as a team. She partially felt that she wouldn’t have had to pull that stupid lever and kill everyone if _she_ was there with her, but at the same time, she knew she probably still would have. But at least then _she_ would have been able to pull the lever with Clarke, so they could share the pain together. But _she_ hadn't been there.

And that led to another thing Clarke felt about _her_ after what happened. She felt brokenhearted, as if she had been cheated on by a lover. And Clarke hated that she felt that way towards _her_. She shouldn’t. It obviously wasn’t as if _she_ gave a shit about Clarke in the first place, after what _she_ did. They weren’t lovers, and Clarke hated that a little part wished they were back in that tent. It made her wonder that if she had kept kissing _her_ , if she had accepted her feelings instead of backed out, if _she_ wouldn’t have betrayed her at the Mountain. But Clarke also knew that _she_ probably still would have. After all, it was to save and protect _her_ people, which even Clarke understood. It was a simple decision, would you rather keep your people safe, or someone else’s people safe, and _she_ had chosen the former. It was a typical leader’s decision. A large part of Clarke knew that she would have done the same thing, if she hadn’t been as close to _her_ as she had been.

That still didn’t stop Clarke from hating _her_ , though. She knew that some of her people had died in the siege of Mount Weather, and she knew that even with _her_ by her side, people still would have died. But what if there had been fewer losses? What if, miraculously, everyone turned out okay? But that never happened. 

Clarke had to watch as they stuck a drill inside her mother, just to make her suffer. She had to watch an unconscious Raven get carried out of the mountain by Wick, blood soaking through thin bandages around her body. She had to watch as Harper slowly limped out of the mountain, helped by Monty and Bellamy, who both looked close to breaking apart from what they both had done. She had to watch as Jasper slowly looked up at her, his eyes filled with a form of hatred she had never seen someone give her before. She had to walk through hundreds of dead women, men, and children to leave the mountain.

Clarke knew that she would have always had to kill everyone in Mount Weather, even if _she_ had been with her, but it still didn’t stop her from thinking that if _she_ had helped them, less people would be dead. Less people would be hurt or traumatized from what they had been through. Less people would have had to suffer.

And because all of this had happened, she was stuck here, sitting in a hollowed out tree, sharpening a piece of flint against a rock to make what resembled something close to the blades they had used on the dropship. Clarke had never practiced throwing blades at trees like some of the other people she had been with, so she knew that she would never be able to throw knives at animals to kill them, but she could at least try to kill them by sneaking up on them, hopefully. And it’d help with self-defense, once her gun ran out of bullets. She also sharpened the blade to calm her nerves, as the slow scraping of the flint against rock, and the noise it made distracted Clarke from thinking about her nightmares or her problems for a little bit.

Once the flint was sharpened enough, the point of it being able to prick Clarke’s finger when she poked it experimentally, Clarke stood up slowly and shakily, weak from days without proper food. She mainly ate berries she knew were healthy and any plant she knew wouldn’t kill her, but with winter slowly beginning, it was becoming hard to find anything, which left Clarke to fall asleep cold and hungry, wishing for death to take her over the agonizing growls her stomach would make.

But another thing that worried Clarke was that people were beginning to search for her, and none of them were her people. On the third day of her trek away from Camp Jaha, Clarke had nearly stumbled into a group of Grounders, who were probably patrolling the area. After making sure that she was hidden in a particularly large bush, Clarke had eavesdropped on them, finding out that she was being searched for, and that people apparently called her ‘Wanheda’ now. What that meant, Clarke had no clue, but she had mainly focused on the thing mentioned before that, about people looking for her because of a bounty that had been set on her. She discovered that, with her new title, she apparently had quite a few people looking for her, hoping to capture and kill her to apparently “take her power”.

Having no idea what “power” that could be, Clarke was a little confused, but she quickly concluded that she was in much more trouble than she thought she was, which just added to the anxiety attack that was just waiting to happen to her.

Clarke knew that she had to make herself look as different as possible. Her first thought was her hair, as one of her more noticeable features was the rat’s nest of blonde hair that she currently wore. Clarke immediately thought of dying it, but she needed the blood of an animal to do that.

And thus we return to the present, where Clarke was trying to track down an animal to kill, eat, and use its blood to dye her hair with. However, as per usual, Clarke was having almost no luck finding anything, and if she did happen to stumble across anything living, it would immediately scurry away from her and quickly disappear, to Clarke’s displeasure.

Lucky for her, after what felt like hours of searching, which had actually been only one hour, Clarke spotted a small deer slowly trudging around a few yards away from her, and, from what Clarke could tell, it was injured, as it was slowly limping along its path, and Clarke could hear faint, but noticeable pained noises from it, making her grin slowly. She slowly crept towards the deer, her footsteps remaining silent as her eyes focused on it as it quickly grew closer to her as she crawled through the grass.

Eventually making it over a couple of feet from the deer, Clarke prepared herself to attack, her fingers tightening around the knife. Without making a noise, the deer had eventually walked about a foot from her, nibbling at the tall grass Clarke was encased in. She took a deep breath, and lunged out suddenly, taking down the deer, who made a loud noise in shock and fear. She quickly stabbed it in the throat, dragging the knife across its neck so that it would most definitely die. The deer spasmed, opening its mouth and closing it in desperate attempts for air before it’s eyes glassed over, and it’s movements were still.

Clarke, breathing heavily, blood staining her shirt from the deer’s throat, slowly stood up, catching her breath. She wiped the blood on her knife on her already stained pants, and slid the blade into one of her belt loops, not having a sheath to put it in. She grabbed the deer by its antlers, groaning from the exertion as she slowly began dragging it back to where she had set up camp before, that being the hollow tree.

It took ages for Clarke to drag the deer back to the tree, much longer than it had taken to find it, that’s for sure, and by the time she had made it back there, the sun was setting, and the sky was painted in hues of orange and pink. If this were week earlier, Clarke probably would have run outside, insistent on drawing the sunset, even if she didn’t have the proper paints to perfectly capture it on canvas, but now she looked at the slowly darkening sky in fear, knowing that the night would be cold and terrifyingly dark, and that she’d have to get a fire going soon.

Clarke set the deer down on the ground and was about to leave to go find sticks and leaves to start a small fire when she realized that leaving a dead deer, aka fresh meat out in the open probably wasn’t the best plan in the world. She sighed, dragging it a bit more into the hollow of the tree, covering it in dead leaves to try and hide it, although she didn’t think there was any way to hide the scent from any predatory animals around here. So Clarke decided to just gather sticks much quicker than she originally planned to.

Managing to mistake a stick for a thorn bush halfway through gathering sticks, Clarke gritted her teeth in pain, looking down at her now injured hand. Three long, jagged thorns were sticking out of her hand, and Clarke pulled them out quickly, gasping in pain every time she pulled one out. Blood slowly oozed out from each hole left from the thorns, and Clarke groaned, ripping a strip of cloth from the sleeve of her shirt to wrap around her hand, tying it in a badly tied knot on the back of her hand. She picked up the sticks she had dropped when she had grabbed the thorn branch, and decided that she had enough for the night. She’d prefer a small fire over grabbing more thorn branches on accident in the slowly darkening woods.

Clarke made her way back to camp, setting her stick pile down on the ground haphazardly, placing a small pile of leaves over the sticks as well. She went back over to the tree, looking inside the hollow part of it to check on the deer, and smiled slightly when she noticed that nothing had touched it, before her gazed fixed on the glassy eyes that peeked out from the cover of dead leaves and foliage over it, and she quickly turned away, bad thoughts starting to return to her head, feeling as if corpses with similar glassy and expressionless eyes were staring at her in the dark.

Returning to her makeshift campfire, Clarke moved the sticks around until she found a rounder stick and a slightly wide branch she had found earlier. Clarke, fortunately, remembered a few things from Earth Skills class, about lighting fires, at least, even if they weren’t allowed to actually set fires in the Ark, so she knew that if she didn’t have something that could start fires, such as a match, she’d have to do it the hard way. She placed the stick on top of the branch, rubbing it quickly, despite the stings that would come from her bandaged hand in protest of her actions. She rubbed it against the branch for what seemed like hours until she saw smoke beginning to form, and she frantically blew at it, watching as a small ember sparked and grew into a small, but noticeable flame. Clarke grinned broadly, blowing on the small flame gently until it became larger, and much, much warmer. Sighing in relief, Clarke leaned back a little, taking in the flickering fire before her with a grateful smile. 

Turning back towards the hollow of the tree, Clarke dragged the deer corpse out from the tree, laying it beside the fire. Letting out a deep sigh, Clarke began to cut open its underbelly with her knife, watching as blood began to seep out and stain the originally downy white fur covering the belly of the deer with a reproachful look. She groaned, before pressing her hands against the blood that had begun to pool around the deer, until her hands were coated in the crimson liquid. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before she began covering her hair in the copper smelling substance, making sure every strand was coated in blood, cringing as she felt her hair, which had already been a tangled mess, begin to form in clumps of drying blood. Clarke couldn’t see herself, obviously, but she kept applying blood until she felt as if her hair was successfully red. Her collar and front of her shirt were soaked in blood, and she felt disgusting, gagging whenever she felt blood trickle down her face. This much blood just reminded her more of her nightmare, which made her want to sob, wishing that she didn’t have to do this.

Well, technically, Clarke didn’t have to. She could always just go back to the Ark and be with everyone else, but she knew she couldn’t handle being around everyone else right now. She especially couldn’t handle the look of disappointment from her mother and Jasper, as all that reminded her is of what she had done. So she didn’t want to go back, even if she ended up alone and dead in this godforsaken forest.

Clarke eventually stripped the deer into thin strips of meat, cooking it with sharp sticks over her fire. She finally fueled her ravenous stomach, and sighed at the feeling of being full, a feeling she hadn’t ever really been acquainted with.

And so Clarke sat, leaning against a tree, a hand over her stomach and another resting on the ground. She looked up at the now starry sky, a small smile on her face, and slowly began nodding off into what she hoped to be a peaceful slumber

Until she was woken up by the sound of snapping twigs.

\--------------

Lexa was really beginning to hate her visits to Arkadia, but she knew she had to partake in them, no matter how many times she wished to cut out Bellamy Blake's tongue for every scathing remark he's made whenever she was in his sights.

She understood why he was upset at her, but for _God's sake_ did he _have_ to tail her around endlessly? It was getting dreadfully aggravating, and Lexa was beginning to regret telling her guards not to confront him when he started doing this.

Lexa had been to Arkadia almost endlessly as of late, discussing with Kane the terms for using Mount Weather, and the car usage, as she had seen Skaikru begin to pull them out of the mountain, along with what seemed to be endless amounts of gas barrels, which had been concerning her people, who were still wary of Skaikru's presence here. She and Kane both agreed that the mountain was to not be used, as Lexa knew her people wouldn't agree, thinking that Skaikru were just trying to become the next Mountain Men. It was simply too risky, and there wasn't really any use for the Mountain anyway, other than for shelter and medical supplies. The cars, thus far, had been the hardest to discuss, and it didn't help that Lexa had no clue what these things were and how they worked.

"Commander, these vehicles could be extremely useful for patrols, rescue missions, and heavy lifting. There's no reason to not have them," Kane had told her, always rewording this excuse any time Lexa brought it up. Lexa had sighed, getting tired of excuse after countless excuse, and fixed him with an annoyed look.

"That may be true, but you need to understand that these...cars...," she began, unused to the new words rolling off her tongue, "pose a serious danger to my people as well. What stops your people from invading my people with these machines?" Lexa questioned, raising her eyebrows, and she held up her hand when Kane opened his mouth to retort, "I'll let you keep the vehicles, but you must understand that there have to be rules," she finished. 

Abby, who was sitting next to Kane, opened her mouth to shoot what was probably an objection along with an accusatory outburst towards Lexa herself, but Kane set his hand on her shoulder, silencing her.

"Of course, Commander, that's just what I was about to address," Kane started, smiling awkwardly to try and break the tension that had been in the air since they started this meeting. "We think that the cars will only be able to travel along the fields in Skaikru territory, and on the pathways leading to Polis or the other clans. Would that suffice?" he asked, tilting his head in question. 

Lexa gave him a grateful look, nodding. Unlike Abby, who regarded Lexa only with glares and insults towards her or her people, Kane understood everything Lexa did or suggested. He was one of the few who accepted and understood what she had done at the mountain and why she did it, something she was extremely grateful for. Anyone who had been to the battle knew what Lexa had done, and almost all of them would fix her with searing glares as she walked past, which never really annoyed Lexa as much as it worried her, knowing that this might make Skaikru more of an enemy than an ally, which is what she was aiming for. She knew that adding Skaikru to the Coalition would be her ultimate goal, but she also knew that she needed Clarke to do that. She needed her people to see that she could ally with anyone, even the legendary _Wanheda_. But with Clarke's sudden disappearance, Lexa was stuck.

And that was yet another one of the constant thoughts racing through Lexa's head at the moment; Clarke. 

Words could not describe the amount of worry she was hiding inside her for the blonde. Lexa tried to keep her worry for her concealed inside, but anytime Abby or Kane mentioned her name, usually asking if she or her people had seen her, Lexa knew she'd flinch or show some sign of concern in her normally expressionless eyes, something that both Kane and Abby noticed. Kane would always give Lexa a sympathetic nod as if he knew how she felt about the girl, and Abby just sent her sharp glares that pierced Lexa's skin like daggers, cutting deep into her skin. 

Clarke had been absent for nearly three weeks now, the last person who had contact with her being Bellamy, who only stated that she said she couldn't face everyone else and that she just left afterward, with no idea where she was going, which only worried Lexa more. Clarke had no idea where she was going, and Lexa could only hope that she didn't end up in Azgeda territory, where she'd probably be killed on the spot. That is, if Clarke didn't die of starvation or of anything else in the woods. The mere idea of Lexa stumbling upon Clarke's long dead body made the brunette want to scream, and Abby Griffin certainly wasn't helping with the situation.

Lexa knew that Abby had never been fond of her, it had been obvious the first day she met her, but it seemed as if what had happened with the missile and the betrayal at Mount Weather only fueled the burning hatred boiling within the older woman, who hardly spoke to Lexa, and if she did, it was either in private when Kane had left the room or beside him when she tried to accuse Lexa of something. If in private, Abby never held anything back, practically spitting insults into Lexa's face, how it was her fault that Clarke was gone, that she had manipulated and lied to Clarke, and the spiraling death threats that she'd end off with if her daughter was found dead. Normally, if someone dared speak to her like this, Lexa would kill them on the spot, or cut out their tongue, but she knew she'd just make the tension grow even more if she did any of that to Abby, and it'd just make Clarke hate her more if they found her.

'No, not if, _when_ '. Lexa chastised herself, shaking her head. There were no 'ifs' in this situation. They were going to find Clarke, whether Lexa had to scour the forest a thousands times over or not. Dying alone in a forest of starvation or being killed by The Ice Nation was not how Clarke's story was going to end, not if Lexa had anything to say about it. 

And Lexa had been trying. She sent out multiple groups of scouts daily to try and hunt down the blonde, but so far they'd somehow come back fruitless. Sometimes she'd search parts of the woods herself. The first spot she had gone to was the dropship, however stupidly obvious that was, followed by the three bunkers Bellamy had (reluctantly) informed her of, all of which lacked Clarke. Lexa had expected that, knowing that Clarke wasn't stupid enough to hide out in a place other people knew of, but she was still reasonably distraught. Trigeda territory was large, yes, but that didn't stop Clarke from accidentally leaving the territory and going into either Azgeda, the Dead Zone, or Broadleaf, which all bordered Trigeda territory. The people of Broadleaf would probably take Clarke in immediately, as Lexa had taken necessary precautions once Clarke disappeared and told them to immediately bring her to Polis if they found her, but there was no helping Clarke if she stumbled into Azgeda territory or the Dead Zone, unless she managed to find the Sankru, who, like Broadleaf, would immediately bring her to Polis, hopefully. Azgeda would just drag Clarke to Nia and have her kill her on the spot, so Nia could claim her "power" as people said she would. Lexa had never believed in the whole 'killing to gain that person's power' thing, but she knew Nia did, and the last thing she needed was Clarke dead and people thinking that Nia was stronger than their Commander. That could not happen.

But with Clarke not being able to be found, there was a strong chance of that happening. Clarke wasn't stupid, and since winter was arriving she knew that the blonde would probably try to stay in the woods, where she had a stronger chance of surviving, than the snowy pines and frigid plains of Azgeda, but again, Clarke could be anywhere right now, and anyone could find her, if not her people. 

She knew that they would eventually hear of at least something about the blonde, whether it be what Lexa dreaded, Clarke's death, or just simple last sightings of her. Some of her people had mentioned spots where former campfires had been lit, but that had been it, and there had been no evidence of Clarke being there other than the ashen remains of the sticks. So Lexa estimated that Clarke was still in Trigeda right now, and hopefully would stay here.

Lexa hadn't noticed that Kane and Abby had ceased their heated discussion on whatever they had been talking about, Lexa having been too deep into her thoughts to care, and jumped a little when she heard Abby clear her throat sharply, and Lexa sent a sharp glare that rivaled the one Abby was giving her to the opposite side of the table.

"If you'd feel so obliged enough to pay attention, Commander," Abby hissed, her teeth noticeably gritting, "then you'd realize that the main reason we called for your presence today is to ask if you've heard or seen Clarke anywhere yet," she finished, her eyes narrowed. Lexa let out a soft sigh, preparing for yet another long conversation about how much she "corrupted" Clarke and how evil she apparently was, and looked up at Abby with a solemn look on her face.

"No, Dr. Griffin, we haven't," Lexa began, and Abby already began bristling at the tone Lexa used, which was borderline patronizing. "As I have informed you multiple times before, we have sent out countless search parties for her, and I've looked for Clarke myself, but there isn't any sign of her. We're thinking of searching in North Trigeda for her, near Azgeda's border. There's an abundance of trading outposts and small villages near there, and Clarke could definitely be hiding out there," she continued, noticing Kane's thoughtful expression. "If anything, Clarke is traveling North, from what the small ash piles we've been finding say, if that even is her," Lexa finished, shrugging slightly. For all she knew, those ash piles could belong to any other rebel out there, but Lexa didn't want to take any chances.

"So you're saying that you've narrowed down an area that Clarke might either be in or headed to?" Kane questioned, a curious look in his eyes. 

Lexa nodded. "Clarke probably doesn't have a set destination that she's headed to, and I have a solid feeling that she's just trying to get as far away from everyone as she can," she stated, not wanting to wonder if Clarke just trying to hide from her, and nobody else, which made her heart clench a little at the thought. "If she knew about them, I'd normally say she's trying to find the Floukru for refuge, but as far as I know, Clarke has no idea who they are, nor does she probably want to be near any Grounders right now, after..what happened," Lexa finished, the last few words she had said being more of a whisper to herself than anything. 

Abby nodded briskly as if she was proud that Lexa knew what she did wrong, and Kane sighed. "Le- Commander, I know that Clarke's absence is affecting you as much as it is with u-"

"She doesn't care, she's just acting as if this bothers her," Abby grunted, and Lexa's head snapped up, her former forlorn expression abandoned, replaced by seething anger.

"Actually, Abby, I do care," Lexa snapped, not caring anymore about being formal with the woman, who looked surprised at the use of her name. "I care more than you think. I've spent the last three weeks with hardly any sleep worrying about and searching for Clarke. I've postponed my duties in Polis for another month, something I cannot afford, now that I think of it, and I have ordered soldiers to spend hours searching for Clarke, some in Azgeda territory, where they could be slaughtered on the spot," Lexa spat, her lip curling as she glared at Abby, who looked shellshocked. 

"So no, Abby, I am not 'acting'. I'm probably doing more work than you are, actually, now that I think of it. What exactly have you done, other than sending out people who have no idea where they're going in the woods for your daughter, may I ask?" Lexa questioned, tilting her head to the side in mock confusion. "You seem to be sleeping fine, unless you've found a way to cover the non-existent bags under your eyes. So next time you accuse me of 'acting' as if I care about your daughter and her whereabouts, give me some proof that you've been helping, instead of petty accusations."

Abby's jaw was ajar, her eyes wide, and even Kane looked surprised, his eyes wide before he cleared his throat, bringing Lexa down from the anger filled high she had just been in. "Uhm, how about we postpone the rest of this meeting for now, shall we?" he suggested, nervously glancing between Abby and Lexa, who was breathing heavily as she tried to calm down. "Commander, maybe we can meet again tomorrow to discuss any other concerns?" 

Lexa shook her head. "No," she began, her normal flat tone returning to her. "I'm going to spend the next two days searching for Clarke. I'll speak to you in two days from now," she announced, a serious look in her eyes as she stared directly at Kane, who slowly nodded in agreement.

"Alright, as you wish, Commander," he began, standing up and pushing his chair into the table. "I expect you have your guards to escort you out?"

"Yes, thank you, Kane kom Skaikru," Lexa answered, following Kane's actions, crossing her arms behind her back. "I bid you goodnight."

"As do we, Commander," Kane began. "May we meet again."

Lexa nodded, not saying another word as she left the meeting room, flanked by two _gona_ and Indra, who didn't ask any questions about the meeting, thankfully. They left the Ark station and stepped out into the cold air, their steps making crunch noises as they stepped on frost covered ground. Lexa exhaled, watching as her breath took form into wispy clouds in the frigid air. She thought of Clarke, cold, alone, in the woods without any food, and she clenched her fists, looking up at the moonlit sky to stare at the stars above.

"Stay safe, please," Lexa mouthed silently, closing her eyes as if making a wish to the stars. A wish she could only hope would be granted.

\-------------------

Clarke started up, her eyes wide, grabbing the makeshift knife she had stuck in the ground next to her, looking towards where she heard the noise frantically, trying to make out whatever had intruded on her camp in the dark. Her fire had gone out, and she couldn't see anything, which made the situation much scarier than it had been moments ago.

"W-Who's there?" she called out, thrusting the hand that held the knife out in front of her, even though she knew it'd probably be hopeless. Whoever it was, whether it be a human or a predatory animal, her pitiful knife probably wouldn't do much. She only had to hope it wasn't anything threatening, maybe another deer to kill for more food.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as a lantern suddenly lit up in the darkness, making Clarke blink rapidly from the sudden light, and it highlighted a thin hooded figure, who moved closer to Clarke, who began shaking, her knife almost falling out of her hand.

God, she didn't want to have to kill another person. She didn't want to be responsible for yet another death, among many others. It'd just make her hurt more, and she couldn't handle any more pain as it was.

"P-Please don't hurt me, I'm not aggressive, I'm just passing through, I swear, I'm sorry if I intruded," she stammered, backing up as far as she could before her back hit the tree she had been sleeping against barely minutes earlier. She looked back at the person, realizing that this could very well be the end for her. She began to beg for her life once more when the hooded figure stopped only a few feet from Clarke, lifting up their arms to reveal no weapons, as if it were a comforting gesture. Clarke, a little taken aback, breathed quickly, stuttering as she spoke up again.

"W-Who are you, and why a-are you here?"

The figure pulled down their hood, revealing a woman's face, with intricate blonde braids pulling any hair away from her face. She smirked at Clarke, who looked utterly petrified against the tree.

"Calm down, _Wanheda_ ," the woman said, her tone unnaturally calm for the situation, which Clarke narrowed her eyes at. "I, unlike a lot of people in this forest, have no intent on killing or harming you."

Clarke, shocked, her jaw slightly open, tried to comprehend the situation. The girl didn't look like she had any weapons on her, and she seemed peaceful, or, much more peaceful than Clarke at the moment, who was pressed up against the tree as if her life depended on it. She could either trust this girl, which risked her life in the process, or run, and risk being found by the girl again, who was most definitely in better shape than she was at the moment. Clarke let out a long sigh, letting the arm holding up the knife relax and go down to her side.

"Okay, but you still haven't told me who you are, and what your purpose in talking to me is," she stated, her expression deadpan, but her voice wavering as if she were afraid that the girl would suddenly snap and attack her, which, to be honest, she was actually afraid of happening.

The girl smirked broadly, revealing white teeth that seemed to shine against the lantern's light, along with her eyes. 

"My name is Niylah, and I'm just here to prevent you from dying. Mostly because you're near my outpost and I really don't need another corpse near it, but also to save your life."

This didn't make Clarke feel any better.


	2. Chapter 2: Actions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexa offers to release Lincoln's kill order for a price, Clarke accepts Niylah's offer for refuge, and Lexa wakes up the next morning tired, but prepared to search for Clarke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe I have some explaining to do.  
> I'm so, so unbelievably sorry for how long it took to update this. A lot of stuff happened that prevented me from getting Chapter 2 out as fast as I thought I could. I got hit with a massive bout of writers block, highschool has gotten even more stressful and tiring, and my, well, ex-girlfriend recently broke up with me on the 13th, and I've been depressed ever since.  
> But I finished!!! Finally. And I got the first part of Chapter 3 planned out. I'll begin writing it out tomorrow. My goal this time is to have the chapter finished by AT THE LEAST Sunday of next week.  
> In all honesty, I know that my grammar is not the best, and I apologize for that, as I'm not a professional writer. I'm still a highschool student who's still learning as I go on, so please bear with me. I'd get a beta if I could but I don't know anyone who could do that. I'd also have chapters out faster if I had someone to work with me, but the same goes for the beta situation; I don't have anyone who can.  
> So please bear with me.

Lexa had been walking towards the woods for less than five minutes when she heard someone call her name from behind her, and she groaned internally, not in the mood to face any more insults or complaints at the moment. Turning around, however, she was immediately faced with a determined looking Octavia, dragging a protesting Lincoln behind her, who, in all honesty, wasn’t trying to break out of Octavia’s feeble grip. Indra’s lip curled at the sight the both of them, and she stepped forward.

“Step away from the Commander, _natrona_ ,” she snarled, ignoring Octavia to direct her glare mainly at Lincoln, who clenched his fists as he stared at the ground, not saying a word.

 _“Chil daun, Indra,”_ Lexa directed cooly, responding to the look of surprise on Indra’s face stonily. “Let Octavia kom Skaikru speak.”

“Commander-”

 _“Shof op, Indra!”_ Lexa snapped, glaring at the older warrior with an icy glare. Indra stepped back, her eyes wide. Most were used to the Commander having less patience as of late, with her lack of sleep and constant worry over Clarke, but it still scared most when she lost her temper, especially around her closest advisors. Indra regained her normally stoic look, nodding stiffly before going over to stand next to the other _gona_ , giving Lexa, Octavia, and Lincoln some privacy.

“Now, what is it that you need, Octavia kom Skaikru?” Lexa asked, an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. “Hopefully it’s something worthwhile..?”

“Uh,” Octavia began, losing the determined look for a new nervous expression, biting her lip, “I’d actually like to ask if Lincoln could have his kill order removed if that’s possible?” she asked, smiling nervously. Lexa took a deep breath, knowing that she wasn’t going to enjoy this conversation.

“Octavia, I can’t do that, and you know that well enough,” Lexa began, ignoring Octavia, who began to bristle in anger. “Lincoln betrayed us before, and as Commander, I can’t-”

“Just like you betrayed Clarke and everyone else at the Mountain?” Octavia remarked icily, not noticing how Lexa stiffened from what she said. “Because believe me, _Commander_ , I haven’t forgotten about that,” she sneered, her green eyes narrow slits as she glared at Lexa, who was fighting to control her rage, her fists clenched, her body shaking slightly.

“I did what I had to do, Octavia,” Lexa growled, her teeth gritting as she spoke. “Yes, I regret leaving your people there, but it seemed as if your people could handle it, from what happened to the _Maunon_.” 

“Alright, maybe we took it well, but can you say the same for Clarke?” Octavia asked, noticing the obvious flinch that had come from Lexa in response. “It’s rather obvious that she didn’t take it very well, you know. I guess the rumours are true, the Commander really is heartle-”

“Shut _up_ , Octavia!” Lexa snarled, her lip curled in anger. “I’m not the sole reason Clarke left, and you know it. What happened in the mountain hurt her, and I know that even if you don’t want to admit it, you didn’t really help much either when you found out about the missile,” she hissed, her emerald eyes blazing in fury. “So stop blaming everyone else without including yourself, because you sure as hell aren’t innocent, and you may as well never will be.”

Octavia stepped back, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to think of a response before her shoulders slackened, and she sighed loudly in defeat. “Commander, listen,” she began, trying to compose herself, “I just want Lincoln to be able to leave Arkadia without having to worry about being executed for it. _Please_.”

Lexa sighed. She was tired, so tired, and she couldn’t deal with something like this. However, she realized that Octavia had a point. It wasn’t fair to Lincoln, whose only crime had been helping Skaikru back when they were only the 100. And now that Skaikru wasn’t the main threat, she supposed that he didn’t need the kill order set on him. And she could also get a favour out of Octavia for doing it.

“Okay, fine, I’ll remove Lincoln’s kill order,” Lexa stated, watching as Octavia smiled broadly in glee. “But,” she continued, “you must do something for me first.”

Octavia gave Lexa a confused look. “What could you possibly need from me, Commander?” she inquired, one eyebrow raised in question.

“I’d like you to assist me tomorrow and the day in searching for Clarke,” Lexa began, a stern look appearing on her face. “You and Lincoln can accompany me. We’ll be going North in Trikru territory, so we’ll have to head out tomorrow at dawn, but if you do this, I’ll lift Lincoln’s kill order.” Lexa smirked slightly. It wasn’t as if she needed help, really, but having two more sets of eyes to assist her would definitely be helpful, and if they happened to find Clarke she could send in Octavia first since the two knew each other from the dropship. That way they’d have a lesser chance of Clarke running from them.

“Uh, sure?” Octavia says, snapping Lexa out of her reverie. “Lincoln and I would be glad to help, right Lincoln?” she added, nudging Lincoln with her shoulder, who had been standing in the background like a statue this entire time. He looked up at Lexa warily, trying to search for any unsaid words in her eyes, but found none, and he nodded slowly, not saying a word.

“Excellent,” Lexa replies, the corners of her mouth quirking up slightly. “I’d insist that you come with us to our camp, then, so that we can leave for the North tomorrow as quickly as possible,” she suggested, gesturing to the dark, foreboding woods that loomed over them from where they stood. “We’re located close to the dropship, go tell Indra that Lincoln’s kill order had been lifted and that you both are to come with us to camp, and if she objects tell her it’s an order from me,” Lexa dismissed, turning around and leaving them to go begin heading down the pathway that led into the forest, looking behind her to see Lincoln and Octavia slowly trudging beside Indra, who looked at Lexa with an inquisitive look, gesturing to the two next to her. Lexa simply nodded in reply, before she let herself sink back into her thoughts again, as the trees encased them in darkness.

\----------------

“So, how did you know who I was?” 

Niylah closed the door to her trading outpost behind her as Clarke spoke, and she looked over at her with an amused smile, locking the door before she walked over to Clarke, who was leaning against a table, looking around.

“I know you think that simply changing your hair to red and covering yourself in dirt and grime is great disguise, Sky Girl, but if anyone managed to get within five feet of you without dying from how bad you smell, they’d clearly be able to tell it’s you,” Niylah snarked, chuckling softly as she moved past Clarke and behind a counter, where she seemed to be looking for something.

Clarke rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Okay, you try being alone in the wilderness for three weeks with only a gun and your little to no wits, and you’ll quickly realize that bathing isn’t your largest concern.”

Niylah laughed softly. “I suppose that’s true, but hey, I finally figured out why people call you _Wanheda_ ,” she says, giving Clarke a broad smirk. 

Clarke narrowed her eyes. “What? Why?”

“Because you smell like death,” Niylah joked, walking over and shoving a cloth into Clarke’s hands, nudging her shoulder gently. “You need a bath.”

“Do you get off on insulting me, or is this a normal thing you do to most people?” Clarke asked, making Niylah snort loudly, giggles leaving her lips.

“I like getting on people’s nerves,” Niylah confirmed, through bouts of laughter. “It leads to rather hilarious outcomes, as long as they don’t have a sword or anything sharp on them,” she adds, smiling. 

“But, in all seriousness, take that cloth and go wash up in the back. Trust me, I can get you red dye if you want to keep your hair that way, but blood probably isn’t the best thing for your hair, with how messy it must have already been. Go wash up,” Niylah instructed, pushing Clarke gently towards the back room. “There’s a water basin in that room. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to call for me,” she finished. Clarke gave her a small smirk.

“I didn’t know you were such a mom, Niylah,” Clarke sneered, amusement showing in her eyes. She joked with Niylah already as if they had been friends for a long time, which was a little surprising to Clarke. She hadn’t expected the other woman to be as friendly as she was, and Clarke knew that she felt very grateful for it. The blonde may have been on the run from everyone, but it was always nice to find someone hospitable on the way. In all honesty, if Niylah was okay with it, Clarke might just stay here and help her out with her outpost. Clarke knew that there was most likely no way of getting out of seeing Le-The Commander again. It was inevitable. But while she was here, she could relax and prepare for that encounter, as it was probably not going to be a very pleasant one, 

Niylah had responded to Clarke already, and she poked Clarke’s shoulder to regain her attention, Clarke’s cheeks darkening in embarrassment. She gripped onto the cloth Niylah had given her tightly. “Okay, I’m...gonna go clean myself up now, sorry,” she mumbled, ignoring the other girl’s amused expression.

“Alright, Clarke, good luck,” Niylah murmured, an amused smirk written on her face.

Clarke stumbled into the small room in the back, nearly tripping over the wash basin on accident. She sat down beside it, noticing that it was already full of water, and dipped the cloth into it, watching as small waves were formed from the movement, rippling across the small circle of water before her. She pulled out the cloth, wrung it out a little, and started cleaning her right arm first, taking off the piece of cloth that had shielded anything from getting into her wound. Preparing herself for the worst, such as infection, Clarke peeled off the cloth and breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that there were no signs of infection and that the holes had scabbed over, for now. Clarke gently dabbed the cloth around each scab, cleaning off any dirt or dried blood that had been on her hand, and slowly began moving to the rest of her body, eventually undressing so that she could get any area blocked off by her clothes. 

Clarke placed the now dirty washcloth to the side and let out a large exhale of breath, realizing that she’d probably need Niylah’s help with her hair. Clarke grabbed what looked close to a towel from a small pile next to the basin, and she tilted her head towards the cloth hanging in the door frame that separated them. 

“Niylah? Can you come help me with my hair, please?” Clarke asked, wrapping the towel around herself as she spoke, covering her body fully. Almost as soon as she asked, Niylah pushed her way into the room, her gaze instantly snapping over to where Clarke lay, a small smirk on her lips.

“I thought I was being too much of a “mom” for you,” the woman remarked wryly, a low chuckle leaving her lips as she settled her hands on her hips. Clarke scoffed.

“Well, I wouldn’t need help if the damn basin was big enough for me to fit in it, would I? Clarke shot back, rolling her eyes. Niylah laughed openly this time, walking past Clarke to grab what looked like a bottle and a comb. 

“I apologize for not being able to scrounge up an entire tub of water for you, _Wanheda_ , I’ll try to do better next time,” she snarked, coming back over to sit behind the basin. “But for now, I need you to lean your head back and into the basin, if you’d like my help.”

Clarke chuckled, but obliged, leaning back until she felt water lap against her ears, the nape of her neck pressing uncomfortably against the rim of the basin. She felt Niylah’s fingers slowly begin to run through the knotted, clumped mess that was her hair, running water through it with a small cup until her hair was thoroughly soaked. Clarke felt Niylah’s fingers leave her scalp for a moment, hearing the distinct pop of a bottle opening before she felt something cold and thicker than water get rubbed into her scalp, some sort of hair cleaner, she was guessing. She smiled slightly at the sensation, before grunting out in pain as a comb abruptly ran through her hair, almost instantaneously getting caught in a large knot near the back of her skull. Niylah slowly but deliberately combed it out, ignoring Clarke’s yelps and complaints as she did. This process continued for what seemed to be days for Clarke, until she felt no sudden tug at her hair when the comb ran through it anymore, until she hardly felt the comb when it ran through her hair. She smiled slowly. 

“Are you done now?” Clarke asked, craning her neck slightly to try and look at Niylah, who had ceased combing her hair. The older woman looked at her with a faint smile and nodded. 

“Your hair is now clean of blood, and a few insects, Sky Girl,” she answered, giving Clarke an amused look.

“Insects?” Clarke asked, running her fingers through her slowly drying hair self-consciously. 

Niylah chuckled. “I’m only joking, Sky Girl, don’t worry,” she teased. “But your hair is completely clean, and should stay that way as long as you don’t go romping around in the woods for three weeks again,” she added, smirking. Clarke bristled a little in annoyance and huffed softly.

“Whatever,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, a yawn escaped her lips, and Clarke finally acknowledged how tired she was, being suddenly woken up in the woods after probably very little rest not helping in the slightest. She looked up at Niylah with an inquiring look.

“Niylah, if it’s alright with you, could I stay the night, at the very least?” Clarke asked, standing up slowly. Niylah followed her actions. 

“You can stay here as long as you’d like, Clarke, as long as you help me manage the trading post,” Niylah answered, smiling. Clarke was a little shocked at the use of her name, but brushed it off, realizing that most Grounders would probably know her name by now, especially in Trikru territory. 

“I can’t necessarily help you when the Commander could be looking for me, Niylah,” Clarke pointed out, sighing. “If someone saw me while I was helping you they could report back to the Commander, and I…” she sighed, “really don’t want to be found by her right now.”

Niylah nodded in understanding. “I know, Clarke,” she began, giving her a small sympathetic smile, which Clarke couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at, “but perhaps you could help me behind the scenes? I’ve heard you’re good with medicine, and trading medicine could give me pretty good benefits, so perhaps you could create medicine for me? I could gather the necessary ingredients for you,” she offered, cocking her head to the side in question.

Clarke shook her head. “I have no knowledge of medicine down here other than some things with seaweed,” she confessed, shrugging. “I wouldn’t be much help, Niylah.”

Niylah nodded slowly. “I..think I have some books on medicine in the main area of the store on medicine that haven’t been picking up interest,” she mused. “I could lend you those while you’re here,” she offered, smiling.

Clarke perked up almost instantly. “That’d be good, I have been wanting to learn more about the medicines your people use down here,” she murmured half to herself, allowing a small smile to appear on her lips. “It’ll take me some experimentation, but sure, I’ll help you as much as I can,” Clarke agreed, nodding. 

“But for now, I’d really just like somewhere to sleep that isn’t a pile of dirt and leaves.”

Niylah nodded briskly. “Of course, I have a small cot I use for family or guests you can use,” she offered, tilting her head over to where Clarke could see a small makeshift bed of thin furs. She felt herself grow even more tired at the thought of falling asleep on it and nodded slowly. 

“Yes, thank you,” she replied quickly, already beginning to shuffle over to the bed, not caring about the thin towel that made up her clothing at the moment. 

Niylah laughed. “Go rest, Sky Girl, we’ll get started in the morning,” she said, turning away from Clarke to exit the room. 

“Don’t you need to sleep too?”

Niylah froze for a second, turning to look over at Clarke. “I’m expecting a messenger to arrive in the early morning, and it’s getting close to that time now,” she explained, sighing. “I have items to deliver to people in surrounding villages right now,” she finished, smiling a little.

“Oh, sorry for prying,” Clarke apologized, feeling bad for questioning the older woman when she really had no place asking. “Uhm, I guess I’ll see you in a few hours?”

Niylah laughed. “I’ll wake you up around noon unless something else happens,” she informed. “But, for now, I bid you goodnight, Clarke,” she added, giving Clarke a small smile before turning around again. 

“Goodnight, Niylah, and thank you for taking me in,” Clarke mumbled, growing so tired that her words came out as a jumbled mess. “You didn’t have to.”

Niylah didn’t seem to reply, or Clarke didn’t hear her, as almost immediately after Clarke has spoken she had fallen asleep, her eyes fluttering shut as her head hit the pillow.

\---------------

Lexa didn’t sleep as well as she had wanted to the night before, tossing and turning until she had fallen asleep, only to be woken up later by the same nightmare she’d been having for days now, mainly consisting of the _Maunon_ and Clarke, although Lexa couldn’t reach her or know exactly what was happening, and it always ended with Clarke’s head being delivered to her in the same exact way Costia’s had. She’d always wake up with a jolt, not in tears, as she knew well enough that it wasn’t real, but reasonably shaken still. 

This time, however, she couldn’t seem to be able to sleep after the nightmare had occurred, so she decided to instead move around her tent, either sorting through maps of battlegrounds or simply standing at her table, staring off into space as she thought of Clarke’s whereabouts, the _natblida_ currently training in Polis, or of how her people were faring as of late, with Azgeda seeming to become a slowly growing threat upon herself and the Trikru people. The sun was beginning to rise when Indra’s voice rang out behind the cloth serving as a door between Lexa and the outside world, and she slowly looked up from the table, her vision hazy from lack of sleep.

“Indra?” she called out, confused. “What do you need?”

It took Indra a moment to respond. “Commander, you’re awake,” she remarked. “I wanted to see if you had woken so I could request for a word with you in private,” she requested, her voice sounding a little quiet, as if she were trying to prevent anyone from hearing her speak. 

Lexa raised an eyebrow. “Well, I am awake, so feel free to come in and tell me what’s on your mind,” she announced, sighing under her breath. She, in all honesty, wasn’t ready to deal with other people at the moment, especially Indra. She was tired, and whenever Lexa was tired she wasn’t usually very talkative or good at responding to people.

In short, The Commander didn’t happen to be very friendly when she didn’t get her beauty sleep. In all honesty, she could tell her army was beginning to notice it too, as they were all seemingly on edge when she passed them, afraid she’d snap at them at any moment for doing something so simple as brushing past her on accident. 

Indra moved past the cloth, and her eyes immediately narrowed at the sight of Lexa, who was hunched over the table as if she were trying to force herself upright, which she actually was. Lexa may be The Commander, but she was still a human being, and it was taking a whole lot of willpower in her to not lay her head down on the table and sleep for however long she wanted to. 

“What is it, Indra?” Lexa sighed out, looking up at Indra with an exasperated look. “I’ll be heading out soon with Octavia kom Skaikru and Lincoln to search for Clarke again, so this better be quick.”

Indra took a deep breath, slowly letting it all out in one long exhale. “Actually, Commander, that’s what I want to discuss with you,” she announced, looking like she was already beginning to regret speaking. Lexa cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh? What about it?”

“Commander, forgive me for saying this, but the army and myself have been noticing how tired you’ve been getting,” the older woman began, holding out a hand when Lexa began to speak, something that surprised the both of them, as Indra normally was never this bold around her. “You have noticeable bags under your eyes, you know,” she remarked, giving Lexa an almost motherly look. “You need to stop focusing on _Wanheda_ and focus more on a full nights rest and the lives of your people,” she says, the frown on her face seemingly growing larger as she stopped speaking.

Lexa sighed again, this time it becoming more audible. “Indra, I don’t need you or my army to worry about the amount of sleep I’m getting,” she responded. “I’ve gone plenty more nights without sleep than this before, I will be fine,” she added, her mind flashing back towards times of war, mainly with Azgeda. She shivered as an image of Costia appeared alongside the memories of bloodshed, and she quickly snapped herself out of her reverie, glancing back towards Indra.

“Like I have been doing for the past few days, I will be going out into the woods to go search for Clarke kom Skaikru,” she announced, her tone stern and more powerful than it had been moments earlier. “However this time I will be taking Octavia kom Skaikru and Lincoln, as they wish to assist me in exchange for Lincoln’s kill order to be relinquished.” 

Indra narrowed her eyes slightly, giving Lexa an almost disappointed look. “Commander, are you seriously intending on going out in the forest, _alone_ , with my former _seken_ , who betrayed me for the Skaikru at the mountain, and the _natrona_ who assisted the people who have constantly harmed our people for no reason other than to take over our own territory?” she asked, her voice only a hiss as she ended her tangent. “Surely this time you’ll heed my advice and let a few _gona_ trail behind you, just in case they decide to turn on you and attack you when you’re away from us?”

Lexa narrowed her eyes, a deep frown growing on her face. “Are you suggesting that I, the Commander of the Twelve Clans, the one who united all 12 clans together to form the Coalition, am so weak that I would let two people, one who isn’t even an experienced warrior, overpower me, Indra?” she questioned, her voice dangerously low. “Because I believe you know as well as everyone else here that that claim is not, and will never be true.”

Indra took a step back, her eyes wide. “Commander, forgive me, that wasn’t what I meant to imply,” she began, her voice sounding anxious as she thought of a way to explain what she had said. “I just- Our people rely on you, you’re the Commander, and to lose you would be a devastating blow to everyone, so I think it would be wise to take precautions no matter your strength,” she suggested, her voice wavering slightly. She only ever showed this weakness around Lexa, with her being the only person she, and most people, truly feared when annoyed, and Lexa was a bit taken aback, even though it had happened before. She, however, switched her expression back to its former stoic one.

“Indra,” she began, gaining a more commanding tone, one that most of her guard knew was the tone she used when she was tired of arguing with someone. “I do not need nor want any _gona_ to follow me or my companions as we search for Clarke kom Skaikru, and that is final,” she finished, fixing Indra with a hard glare. Indra let out a defeated sigh, dipping her head in defeat before speaking.

“As you wish, Commander,” she muttered, and Lexa could tell that she was gritting her teeth as she spoke. “Just stay careful, and keep an eye on the Octavia kom Skaikru and Lincoln, just in case,” she added, before beginning to back up. “I will be taking my leave now, to organize some patrols for our hunters,” she announced, looking towards Lexa for confirmation.

“Alright, Indra,” Lexa dismissed her with a flick of her hand. “Farewell,” she added, watching Indra leave her tent. She let out a loud, exasperated sigh, beginning to focus on her maps again before she heard the telltale sound of footsteps nearing her tent, and a familiar head of dark brown hair peek in her tent, not seeming to notice the large scowl on Lexa’s face as she began speaking.

“Commander?” Octavia called out, looking over at the Commander with a small, nervous smile. “Lincoln and I are ready to go out in search for Clarke if you are as well,” she suggested, before letting out a small yelp as she was suddenly tugged back behind the tent flap by someone else, either a guard or Lincoln, Lexa couldn’t tell from where she stood. She heard Octavia’s protests from outside the tent, loud and demanding and _especially_ annoying to Lexa, and she rolled her eyes, before moving from the table to go step outside for the first time today, her gaze searching for Octavia, who was currently struggling in the grip of one of her guards, who held her arms behind her back. Lincoln was a few feet away from them, his face in his hands as he shook his head slowly, before noticing Lexa approaching.

“Commander,” he began, his voice quiet. “I apologize for her, she still doesn’t really know how to respect certain individuals,” he explained, tilting his head towards the struggling girl near them. Lexa allowed a small smile to appear on her face for a few moments, letting herself feel amused at the two of them, before she hid that behind her mask once more. 

Lexa looked towards the guard, and with one flick of her hand, he released Octavia, who stumbled a bit forward as she regained movement. She glared at the guard and raised her hand in what looked like the intent on giving him a rude hand gesture, before Lincoln moved forward and grabbed her hand before she could form it, shaking his head slowly at her. Octavia pouted a bit but slowly nodded, following Lincoln back over to Lexa.

“Anyways,” Lincoln began, before Octavia could say anything. “I believe we’re ready to set out in search for Clarke, if you are ready as well,” he suggested, flashing an awkward smile towards Lexa, who didn’t return it. 

“Good. I was just about to come out here and send guards to come get you, anyways,” Lexa remarked, nodding slightly. “We’ll begin heading north at once,” she announced, tilting her head towards the entrance of the camp slowly, beginning to turn towards it. Lincoln and Octavia both nodded in unison, and as soon as the Commander had begun walking towards the entrance, they followed, until the dense forest swallowed them and they were lost in sight from the grounder army.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have questions about this chapter, just ask me in the comments or message my Tumblr. My Tumblr is commandersmartass if you wish to contact me.
> 
> Translations-  
> Natrona- traitor  
> "Chil daun, Indra"- Stand down, Indra  
> "Shof op, Indra!"- Be quiet, Indra!  
> Gona- Warrior  
> Maunon- Mountain Men  
> Wanheda- Commander of Death  
> Natblida- Nightbloods  
> Seken- Second


End file.
